About 1000 children, parents and caregivers boarded a 15-carriage suburban train, which ran return trips north from the city to Waitati and south from Dunedin to Mosgiel.
There is no permanent passenger service on the rail line, so for some it was their first opportunity to take in an alternative view of the surroundings.
Tunnels were an attraction in their own right and a few youngsters braved engine fumes and a freezing wind to stand between carriages as the train hurtled along in the dark.
Louise Burnside, of Taieri Gorge Railway, said a special train journey between Dunedin and Mosgiel was also reserved for the elderly and large groups.
The four public return trips between Dunedin, Mosgiel and Waitati averaged a passenger load of 200 - half their capacity.
Last year's suburban passenger service was overloaded when almost 3000 people crowded carriages, so the schedule was changed and capacity increased, but fewer people turned up this year.
Passengers keen to board the DJ locomotive again, and those who missed out, would get a second opportunity in September, Ms Burnside said.
